AI Receptionist — Frequently Asked Questions

AI Receptionist's voice is named Beau. This article refers to the product as "AI Receptionist" throughout. AI Receptionist is currently in Beta and gradually being made available to all customers. We're actively improving it, so features may change as we go.

Can AI Receptionist answer on the same number that my clients already call?

Yes! If you don't already forward calls from that line to your Boulevard number, you may need to set up call forwarding for AI Receptionist to answer.

Will AI Receptionist text from the same number clients text today?
Yes, as long as you are using Boulevard Messages today. Our AI Receptionist, Beau, sends texts from the same line your staff text clients from today, and it shows in the same inbox.

What can AI Receptionist do? Does it book appointments or just answer questions? AI Receptionist helps clients with whatever they need when they call in. It understands your offerings and business details, so it can answer many client questions and help a client self-book or manage existing bookings by sending the appropriate link for their needs. If a client needs to be transferred to your business — either by request or because they need something AI Receptionist can't support — AI Receptionist provides an AI summary to your team with the hand-off.

Does AI Receptionist book the appointment, or just send a link? AI Receptionist sends the caller a booking link with the correct service already selected. The client confirms the details and — if they don't already have one on file — securely adds a card, then completes the booking. The appointment appears on your calendar right away.

Sending a link is intentional: it keeps payment details secure, lets the client confirm everything themselves, and keeps the call short and simple — no long back-and-forth with a bot. Booking directly by voice isn't something AI Receptionist does today, but it's an area we're exploring.

What if AI Receptionist selects the wrong service or makes a mistake?

AI Receptionist never books on its own. When it sends a booking link, the client reviews and confirms every detail — service, time, and provider — before the appointment is finalized. So even if the wrong service lands on a link, it’s caught before anything is booked.

What happens when AI Receptionist sends a link? How do I know if a booking was made? There are two places to monitor AI Receptionist's actions:

How can I monitor AI Receptionist activity and quality? There are two key places to monitor AI Receptionist activity:

Can AI Receptionist handle both new and returning clients? Yes. AI Receptionist often recognizes returning clients automatically by the number they're calling from, which allows for a more personalized experience. For new clients, AI Receptionist creates a new profile using their name and phone number.

Will AI Receptionist create duplicate client profiles? AI Receptionist matches callers to existing records using their name and phone number, so a returning client calling from a known number is recognized automatically. Only a genuinely new caller gets a new profile — created from their name and number.

What if the caller doesn't know exactly what they want? AI Receptionist can guide callers through your service menu, explain the differences between options, and help them find the right service before sending a booking link with the correct service already selected.

Can AI Receptionist help with reschedules or cancellations? Yes. AI Receptionist can text the caller a link to your client portal so they can manage their appointment. If the appointment is coming up soon or falls within your cancellation policy window, AI Receptionist will offer to connect the caller with your team or take a message instead.

Can AI Receptionist collect a credit card on file? Yes. If a client doesn't already have a card on file, AI Receptionist collects one through the booking link.

Can a caller book with a specific provider, or check availability on the call? AI Receptionist doesn't review availability with callers directly. It sends a booking link where the client can see open times and complete the booking themselves, or it hands off to your staff if the caller asks. Availability and provider selection happen in the booking flow, not on the call.

Can AI Receptionist answer detailed questions about our services? Yes. AI Receptionist uses your service descriptions to help callers understand your offerings. The quality and accuracy of those descriptions directly shape how well AI Receptionist guides callers, so keeping your Boulevard service data up to date matters.

How quickly does AI Receptionist pick up new services or menu changes?

Right away. AI Receptionist reads your service menu and business details in real time, so when you add a service or update pricing in Boulevard, it uses the new information on the very next call — there’s nothing to refresh or re-train.

Can AI Receptionist answer questions that aren't in our service descriptions? Not for every business-specific question today. If a caller needs something beyond what AI Receptionist can confidently answer, it will transfer the caller or offer to take a message, depending on your settings.

What if we don't have pricing (or other details) in the system? AI Receptionist can only share details that live in your Boulevard data. If something isn't in the system, AI Receptionist won't guess — it will offer to take a message or transfer the caller instead. Adding that information to Boulevard is the best way to let AI Receptionist handle those questions directly.

Can AI Receptionist explain parking, arrival instructions, or other business-specific details? AI Receptionist can explain appointment-related rules and business details already in the system — hours, cancellation policy, booking rules, and payment requirements. It doesn't currently explain custom business-specific information like parking, validation, or children/pet policies, though that may be supported in the future.

Can AI Receptionist's tone or voice be customized to match our brand? Not at this time. AI Receptionist uses a standardized, warm, professional voice to ensure consistency and quality. More customization may come in the future.

What can AI Receptionist not book? AI Receptionist doesn't currently support group appointments, and it can't sell memberships, packages, or gift cards. It also can't book at a location other than the one being called. If a caller asks for one of these, AI Receptionist transfers the call to your team.

Can AI Receptionist handle consultation-first booking flows? Not currently. AI Receptionist works best with straightforward, online-bookable services. If your process requires a consultation before scheduling, AI Receptionist can't support that flow today.

Does AI Receptionist support two-way text messaging? No. AI Receptionist doesn't respond to incoming texts. It can send outbound texts in specific situations during a call — like a booking link — but it isn't a two-way texting channel. Everything AI Receptionist sends is centralized in the same inbox you use for two-way messaging, for easy hand-off to staff.

Can AI Receptionist send an automated text after a missed call? No — when AI Receptionist is enabled, it answers all incoming calls, so there are no missed calls to follow up on.

Can AI Receptionist do outbound calling or client reactivation? No. AI Receptionist doesn't currently support outbound calling or reactivation campaigns.

Will I need to change my voice or text number to set up AI Receptionist?

No, once fully set up, AI Receptionist answers the same number your clients call today, and texts from your same Boulevard Booking line.

What happens when AI Receptionist can't help? Based on your transfer settings, AI Receptionist will either take a message or transfer the caller to your team. After hours, AI Receptionist lets the caller know your business is unavailable and takes a message with an AI summary for your team.

Can the caller reach a person at any point? Yes. If a caller asks to speak with a team member at any point, AI Receptionist transfers the call immediately — or takes a message if no one's available.

Can AI Receptionist route callers to a specific person or extension? No. AI Receptionist transfers to a single number that you configure — it can't route callers to different people or extensions. All transferred calls go to that one number.

What happens if no one picks up the transferred call? AI Receptionist lets the caller know and offers to capture a callback request so your team can follow up.

Can AI Receptionist handle urgent or sensitive calls? Yes. For anything urgent or sensitive, callers can ask to speak with someone at any time, and AI Receptionist hands the call off to your team as long as you have transfers configured. For full instructions, see AI Receptionist: Setting up phone calls.

What phone setup does AI Receptionist require? It depends on how clients currently reach you. If clients already call your Boulevard booking line, no forwarding changes are needed. If clients call a different number, you'll need to set up call forwarding to your Boulevard booking line before you enable AI Receptionist. For full instructions, see AI Receptionist: Setting up phone calls.

Which number do clients call — ours or the Boulevard number? Clients keep calling the same number they always have. What matters is that the number reaches your Boulevard booking line — either because it is your booking line, or because you forward it there. AI Receptionist answers on the booking line.

How does AI Receptionist work if I have more than one location?

AI Receptionist is set up per location, on each location’s Boulevard booking line. If your locations share one public number, you’ll work with your phone provider to forward calls to the right location’s booking line. Keep in mind AI Receptionist books only at the location the caller reached — it won’t book across locations.

Can the transfer number be the same as our main business number? No. Using the same number creates a forwarding loop — the call bounces between your phone provider and AI Receptionist without ever reaching your team. Use a separate number, like a mobile or direct line, that doesn't forward back to your Boulevard booking line. If you don't have a second number, you can choose to take messages instead.

What if we only have one phone line? If your only line is the number clients call today, there may not be a separate number for transfers. Most single-line businesses configure AI Receptionist to take a message instead of transferring, or run it after hours only.

Who on our team needs to make the forwarding changes? Whoever has access to your phone provider account or business phone system can make forwarding changes— usually an owner, manager, front desk lead, or IT contact.

Who manages our current business phone number? Typically your phone carrier (AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Spectrum, Cox) or a VoIP system (RingCentral, Nextiva, Zoom Phone, Dialpad, 8x8, Vonage, Ooma). Not sure? Check a recent phone bill, your admin portal, or ask whoever manages phones/IT.

Can we use AI Receptionist only after hours? Yes. You can run AI Receptionist after hours only, so your front desk handles calls during business hours and AI Receptionist takes over when your team is unavailable.

Can the front desk answer first, with AI Receptionist handling overflow? This is possible depending on how your call forwarding is set up. Forwarding unanswered calls only — rather than all calls — lets staff pick up first and sends overflow to AI Receptionist. See Setting up phone calls for the approach that fits your phone system.

Can we schedule AI Receptionist for certain days only? Not currently. Your coverage options are after-hours only or around the clock (24/7) — you can't yet limit AI Receptionist to specific days.

Can we start with after-hours only and expand later? Yes. Start with after-hours coverage and switch to 24/7 coverage whenever you like. Adjust settings anytime under Manage Location > AI Receptionist.

Can we start by taking a message and set up transfers later? Yes. You can adjust your settings anytime after setup to add call transfers.

I don't want my phone to ring at all — how do I set that up?

Does AI Receptionist detect and block robocalls? Because AI Receptionist is the first line of defense for your business, most businesses see a sharp drop in spam and robocalls after turning it on. Many robocalls disengage once they realize they're talking to an AI, so only real client calls reach your staff.

What about human telemarketers? Human telemarketers are harder to block entirely. Most won't continue once they realize they're speaking with an AI, though if one explicitly asks for a team member, that transfer request may still go through.

Will this reduce junk-call interruptions? Yes. AI Receptionist generally reduces the volume of spam and junk calls that reach your team.

Is AI Receptionist HIPAA compliant?

Yes. AI Receptionist is built to keep protected health information (PHI) secure. It doesn’t disclose or discuss PHI in its conversations, and anything shared with it stays within your existing staff access — it isn’t exposed outside your team. It's all covered by your BAA with Boulevard.

Does AI Receptionist record my calls?

AI Receptionist doesn’t store call audio — instead it saves a full written transcript of every call, which you can open from the Call Log or any Messages conversation. Because there’s no audio file, calls don’t count against your storage, and you still have a complete record of what was said.

How will I know when AI Receptionist books an appointment? Appointments booked by AI Receptionist appear on your calendar, and the inbox shows when a booking link resulted in a booking.

Where can I see what was said on a call? Full transcripts are available for every AI Receptionist call. In All Messages, open any conversation to see the AI-generated call summary, or click through for the full transcript. In the AI Receptionist Call Log, you can open any call's transcript directly — handy when filtering by date or intent.

Can I filter the call log? Yes. The AI Receptionist Call Log supports three filters:

Where can I see how many minutes I've used? AI Receptionist tracks minute usage in two places: the AI Receptionist Call Log in Messages, and the settings page under Manage Location > AI Receptionist. Text usage appears alongside your other two-way texts in Messages and on your billing page.

What performance metrics can I see? The AI Receptionist Call Log shows key metrics for any date range you select:

Can I see calls and messages from my phone? Yes. With Messages in the Professional App, staff who have Messages: View or View & Send Messages permissions can see the inbox and AI Receptionist call log from the Professional App on your smartphone or iPad.

Will reporting reflect that AI Receptionist was the booking source for a client?

Yes, AI Receptionist has been added as a new booking source.

If AI Receptionist mispronounces my business name or gets something wrong, can I fix it?

Yes. There are a few places right in the product to flag an issue — a mispronounced name, an off answer, anything that didn’t sound right — and that feedback goes straight to our team so we can improve it. Keeping your Boulevard service and location details accurate also helps it get things right the first time.

How much does AI Receptionist cost? Is there a cost to participate in the beta? All AI Receptionist usage — call minutes and the texts it sends — is free for August and September 2026. After that, standard pricing applies: $125 for 200 minutes, $0.60 per additional minute, and standard text rates for the booking links AI Receptionist sends. For details, see AI Receptionist pricing.

Is AI Receptionist a flat rate, or charged per booking? AI Receptionist is a flat monthly rate per location ($125 for 200 minutes), not a per-booking charge. You're billed on usage = not on how many appointments AI Receptionist books. For details, see AI Receptionist pricing.

Do the texts AI Receptionist sends cost extra? AI Receptionist texts are billed at standard text rates, the same as other texts your business sends from Boulevard. See For details, see AI Receptionist pricing.

Is AI Receptionist included in my plan, or an add-on? AI Receptionist is an add-on you can turn on per location — it isn't bundled into your base plan. For details, see AI Receptionist pricing.

What happens if I go over my included minutes? Will I be warned first?

AI Receptionist doesn’t shut off on its own at 200 minutes — it keeps answering so you never miss a call. You’re notified at 75% and 90% of your included minutes (and by email as you near the limit around billing), so there are no surprises, and you can turn it off or adjust its hours anytime under Manage Location > AI Receptionist. Beyond 200 minutes, additional minutes are $0.60 each.

200 minutes doesn’t sound like much — how far does it actually go?

Further than it looks. Calls average about a minute each, so 200 minutes covers a lot of conversations — you’d need roughly 7 calls a day, every day, to approach the limit. Most businesses stay well within it.

Could spam callers, or someone who won’t hang up, run up my minutes?

There are built-in safeguards. If no one speaks for a minute, AI Receptionist ends the call, and every call has a 30-minute maximum. It also summarizes your menu rather than reading it out in full, so calls stay efficient. And because most robocalls hang up the moment they realize they’ve reached an AI, spam rarely uses meaningful minutes.

Will the booking links AI Receptionist sends use up a lot of my texts?

No. AI Receptionist sends a single text per booking or reschedule/cancel — not a back-and-forth thread. Across our pilot businesses, the busiest location was on track for only about 40 of these texts a month. They’re billed at your standard text rates.

Is there a minimum commitment or cancellation fee?

No. There’s no minimum term and no cancellation fee — turn AI Receptionist on and off per location whenever you like. During the free period (August–September 2026) there’s no charge at all; after that, you’re only billed for the months it handles calls.

How do I get access to AI Receptionist? AI Receptionist is in beta and available to all Boulevard customers. It's self-serve — you can turn it on yourself in-product, per location. See Setting Up AI Receptionist for more details.

What permissions does my staff need for AI Receptionist? Staff need the Manage AI Receptionist permission to set up or change AI Receptionist settings for their location. Staff with Messages: View or Messages: View & Send can view AI Receptionist interactions and the call log.

What makes a business a good fit for AI Receptionist? AI Receptionist works best for businesses that get a meaningful volume of inbound booking calls, have self-booking enabled in Boulevard, use the client portal, and either use their Boulevard booking line as their public number or can set up call forwarding.

How do I turn AI Receptionist off? You can turn AI Receptionist off anytime under Manage Location > AI Receptionist — there's no commitment. If you set up call forwarding to route calls to AI Receptionist, reverse that forwarding with your phone provider first so calls return to your normal line. See Setting Up AI Receptionist for more details.